New Report Examines How First-Gen Students Think About College Value

Posted by National College Attainment Network on June 2, 2026

In recent years, there’s been a steady stream of op-eds and opinion polls debating the value of higher education. While their conclusions vary, one thing is constant: too few reflect the perspectives of those who have the most to gain, and lose, from going to college – first-generation and low-income young people.

To address this gap, College Access: Research & Action (CARA) asked a group of first-generation and low-income young people in New York City to co-lead a research project on this topic by examining existing studies and conducting interviews with 65 of their peers. As documented in our new report, we observed two findings that challenge common narratives.

First, contrary to the past several years’ news coverage, we found that the vast majority of young people – about 75% – still want to go to college. This durable desire for college has recently been showing up in other studies, as more data shows that Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completions are going up, enrollments are increasing, and student experiences are significantly more positive than are accounted for by the general public’s concerns.

Second, we heard that “return on investment (ROI),” the framework of college value used by (too) many policymakers, doesn’t align well with how first-gen young people actually make decisions. This insight is unique to this research, so this blog will unpack three dimensions of this finding and why it matters.

Learn more on the NCAN Blog

Read the full report